Do you have living faith?

A person’s body that does not have a spirit is dead. It is the same with faith—faith that does nothing is dead! (James 2:26)

Faith is meant to produce something - it isn't just an ethereal thing that we 'have' but never put to use. Faith is meant to have feet and hands - it is meant to be put into action. Democritus once said, "Our sins are more easily remembered than our good deeds." Wouldn't it be wonderful if our good deeds were the things others remembered instead of our sinful actions. It takes only one bad deed to damage a reputation, and it can take thousands of good ones to restore it!

Faith and deeds are interrelated. You cannot separate one from the other. Ephesians reminds us that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, not our 'good deeds', but that living for and in Christ Jesus means that we will produce good deeds. In other words, our life is lived for others, not just ourselves. Prior to welcoming Christ into our lives, we did 'good works' in the hopes we might find our way to right standing with God. After welcoming him into our lives, our attitude toward doing good works actually changes - we do them as an outflow of grace.

Transformational grace has a way of working its way out of us - it turns us away from the 'me, me, me' focus and toward seeing the needs of others. It helps us see beyond the end of our own nose, so to speak. In seeing needs around us, there is an urgency within us to be used in whatever way God desires - allowing the grace resident within us to affect the lives of those around us. These 'works' are not to earn favor with God but are an act of gratitude for all he has already done for us!

As a body without a spirit is dead, so is a 'stated faith' without the evidence of 'grace actions' flowing from it. We might say we are 'Christian', but does our life reflect the transformation of Christ within us? If so, it is natural to see the actions of grace extended beyond our lives - we become the hands and feet of Christ to a hurting, mixed up, and crazy world. Faith without works is dead, but faith isn't accomplished by works. They are an outflow of his work in us. Just sayin!